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Did I infect a girl?

1. I had sex with a sex worker on 15th August 2013. I tested negative for HIV and positive for Hepatitis C 2 months after the incident. My SGOT and SGPT were elevated. I started with Interferon based treatment on 1st of January 2014. It lasted for 24 weeks. I last tested for HIV 73 days after completing HCV treatment (one year and 15 days after the sexual incident). It was negative. . My CD4 counts 25 days after the sexual incident was 854. I tested for cd4 counts 3 other times, they were 454, 421 and 423. The last two cd4 counts were 2 months after the end of Hepatitis C treatment.

2. Second Incident - A male sex worker licked my nipple and slightly bit on them. 2 days after the incident I took Hepatitis B vaccine. 4 days after the injection I had 100 degree Fahrenheit fever for 6 days.There was no other sexual contact with the worker. I did not see any blood on my nipple, there was no cut either.

I did not test for HIV after this incident, assuming it was not a risk situation.

3. 2016 June. I have protected vaginal sex with a girl. She gave me a blowjob, precum came in her mouth. There was no ejaculation of semen. 15 days after the incident , she had fever and sore throat that lasted for 3 days. Then 1 motnh after the incident she had extreme gas and bloating. She has been hospitalized for the last 4 days and has been diagnosed with colitis. She is unable to eat and is vomiting.

4. Now, I am very afraid. I have read on your site that Hepatitis C treatment can delay antibody production for HIV. My last HIV test was 73 days after completion of HCV treatment and one year and 15 days after the first sexual contact. The HCV treatment had started 4.5 months after the sexual contact. Can I conclude from this that I did not acquire HIV from the first incident?

5. I did nit test after the 2nd incident because I thought it did not carry any risk.

6. My third sexual exposure, considering her severe symptoms, I am worried that I gave HIV to her. Help. I am feeling very guilty and lost.

7. Am I infected with HIV or not?

Answer:

Hi there and thank you for reaching out to AIDS Vancouver with your questions! We're happy to help.

I'll start by going over the risks associated with certain sexual activities

unprotected sex (no condom) is a High Risk activity for HIV transmission. This many cases of HIV transmission occur in this manner

Protected sex (with a condom) is a Low Risk activity for HIV transmission. This means that although there have been a few cases of transmission in this manner, they're usually under certain identifiable conditions. For example, condoms breaking. If the condom didn't break, then the risk is greatly diminished.

The incident you describe with the licking and biting of the nipples is No Risk. Saliva doesn't transmit HIV, and there would be no direct access to the bloodstream from the nipple.

Receiving oral sex is considered to be Negligible Risk. This means that although theoretically it may be possible for HIV to be transmitted this way, there has never been a confirmed case of transmission in this manner.

Next, I want to discuss symptoms in relation to HIV. We try to avoid talking about symptoms in conjunction with HIV, because they're vague and often mimic other viral infections such as the flu. Additionally, the symptoms one person gets may be different than the symptoms another person gets. The only way to be certain of your HIV status is to get tested, so great job on taking the initiative to do so. Additionally, the symptoms you described that the woman had are not typical symptoms of HIV.

Next, I'll discuss tests and test results with you. You're correct that HCV treatment can delay the window period for HIV testing. It's recommended that people undergoing HCV treatment test for up to 6 months in order for their test results to be conclusive. Your 1 year test, therefore, is conclusive, so based on the experiences you've described, you do not have HIV. Therefore, you also did not give this woman HIV.

I hope this helped to clear some things up for you! For more information about HIV transmission and testing, please visit avert.org.

AIDS Vancouver plays a special role in providing quality health care to people affected by HIV/AIDS living in the Lower Mainland. It is clearly more than just a community health care organization. It is an organization whose presence and continued strength is essential to the quality for life of this community and of each individual and family who draws on its services. Our Agency is a vital community asset which everyone affected by HIV/AIDS can share, and in which we all have a stake.